The Marriage Merger by Sandy Curtis Read Free Book Online Page A

told him she was staying
because Caitlin needed her. He was an enigma she was tempted to
unravel, but wary of doing so for fear of what she might
discover.
    When Jenna walked back to the kitchen she saw
the table had been cleared, the dishwasher stacked and the kitchen
cleaned up. Braden had said he had work to attend to, so Jenna
decided to take advantage of her first time of being alone for
days. She selected a CD and placed it in the stereo unit. Soft,
flowing instrumental music filled the room.
    Jenna relaxed back, closed her eyes and let
her mind flow with the music. She conjured up scenes of peaceful
lakes and gently meandering rivers. Then she concentrated on her
breath flowing in through her nose and deep into her lungs. She
imagined it coloured a soothing pale blue. Silently her mind
repeated the words ‘I am’ in synchronization with her breathing.
She felt her body relaxing more deeply.
    She became aware someone else was in the room
and her eyes snapped open. Braden was standing over her, and in the
split second before he could disguise it, she saw the naked hunger
on his face as he gazed down at her.
    “You startled me.” Her voice was breathy.
    “I thought you were asleep.”
    “I was meditating.”
    He raised a sceptical eyebrow. “I’ve always
thought the concept excellent, but have never been able to carry it
out sufficiently well enough to prove it.”
    She smiled. “I felt that way for many years.
Then a friend gave me a tape that made it so easy - took all the
saffron-robe mysticism out of it.” Her heart did a double-flip as a
smile that would charm any female from eight to eighty altered the
contours of his face. For the first time she realised just how very
attractive he was.
    “Perhaps you might let me listen to the
tape.” He moved to sit next to her and she shifted quickly so that
their bodies didn’t touch. A knowing glint sparkled in the grey
eyes. He was playing with her, she realised.
    “I’m sorry,” her regret was genuine, “it was
with the luggage I forwarded to Sydney. But I could teach you how
to do it.”
    “I’m willing to try anything. Once.” He
wasn’t even trying to conceal his amusement now. Jenna’s
less-than-placid nature sparked in answering challenge. She stood
up.
    “For your first time you’ll be a lot more
relaxed if you lie down.”
    Obligingly he kicked off his shoes and swung
his legs up onto the lounge. He lay back with his arms folded
across his chest.
    “Put your arms down by your side,” she
commanded. “You mustn’t have any part of your body touching another
part.”
    “What about touching someone else’s body?” he
countered.
    “Strictly forbidden,” she responded primly.
“Close your eyes.”
    She knelt beside the lounge and her tone
softened as she began to describe the imagery involved. Her voice
became mellow, fluid, soothing. She watched as Braden followed her
hypnotic instructions. Gradually the tension left his muscles and
his breathing became deep and regular.
    Jenna kept up the steady flow of words,
leading, guiding. And as she talked her gaze traced the outline of
his face; the smooth forehead, the straight nose, faltered on the
full lips that were invitingly parted just a fraction.
    By the time her gaze lingered on the rhythmic
rise and fall of his chest she was quivering. Desperately she tried
to fight the rising desire in her blood. She could feel her nipples
firming against the smooth satin of her bra and push against her
soft cotton shirt.
    Her voice grew husky. As though sensing the
reason for the change Braden’s eyes opened and fixed on hers. Like
a mouse mesmerized by the unblinking stare of a snake she froze. He
slowly raised himself on one elbow, his head leaning towards hers.
She knew he was going to kiss her, knew she should get up and run,
but all coherent thought fled as his lips met hers.
    It was a soft, gentle feathering of skin on
skin, his warm breath mingling with hers, a faint woodsy tang of
aftershave